by Eric Prisbell, USA TODAY Sports

by Eric Prisbell, USA TODAY Sports

WACO, Texas --- After Kansas State had lost earlier in the day, Kansas took the court at the Ferrell Center knowing that it had already clinched at least a share of a ninth straight Big 12 title, a remarkable achievement in this age of parity.

The Jayhawks were prepared for a coronation. And they promptly were clobbered.

A desperate Baylor team, which had been clinging to slim NCAA tournament at-large hopes, turned in a blistering shooting effort against the nation's leaders in field goal percentage defense and soundly beat Kansas, 81-58.

Though Baylor got zero points from its bench, its starters shot 57.7 percent from the field. Guard Pierre Jackson made 11 of 13 field goal attempts, scoring 28 points. Forward Cory Jefferson also made 11 of 13 shots from the floor, scoring 25 points.

Most surprising, Jefferson, who had missed all seven of his three-point shots in his career, made all three of his three-point attempts tonight. Asked if he knew Jefferson had that outside shooting range, Kansas coach Bill Self said, "Hell, no."

And with that, another upset of a top-five team. Another court storming, this one witnessed by former Baylor quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, who congratulated Baylor players before eluding students rushing onto the court on his way to the back of the arena.

The loss left Kansas (26-5, 14-4 Big 12) with conflicted emotions. Though it had steered its season back on course following its first three-game losing streak in eight years, though it clinched a share of the league title with Kansas State, the Jayhawks will enter the Big 12 tournament with the sour taste of their second-worst loss RPI-wise of the season.

Kansas senior Jeff Withey said the team reminded itself only briefly after the game that it had captured a share of the conference title.

"It does not feel like we won it [Big 12 title] at all â?¦ " Withey said. "Maybe we thought it was ours already."

The result gave Baylor its second top-50 RPI victory of the season, enhancing the tournament hopes for the Bears, who likely still need to win two games in the Big 12 tournament to feel confident about a berth. Baylor coach Scott Drew said he never saw a performance like this coming.

"We've been in that last-four-in, first-four-out [group] for three weeks," a jubilant Drew said. "I think we were just tired of it."

And the outcome further muddied an already cloudy picture for potential No. 1 NCAA tournament seeds. Results in next week's conference tournaments will likely take on added importance as the NCAA tournament selection committee attempts to find separation among top-seed contenders, a somewhat erratic group that includes Kansas.

Self said he was optimistic that his team would play free and loose after Kansas State lost. But it didn't matter. He later said there is no reason for his team to have shaken confidence entering the Big 12 tournament, adding, "We got punched in the mouth today without question. But we will get up."

The Jayhawks were poised to win the Big 12 title outright after Kansas State lost at Oklahoma State earlier today. But the result here in Waco may have been the only appropriate one given the topsy-turvy nature of this college basketball season.

"We can beat anybody in the nation," Drew said. "As college basketball has shown, anybody can lose to anybody."

There is no clear No. 1 team. Nearly 10 teams at times appear qualified to be tied at No. 2. Parity has wreaked havoc across the landscape, leveling the playing field and yielding surprising outcomes in almost every power conference.

Miami has disrupted the traditional hierarchy atop the ACC standings. And though it bolstered its resume today, Kentucky is at risk of becoming the third defending national champion in the past six seasons to miss the tournament.

As unpredictability prevails like never before, the more things stay the same atop the Big 12. Barely.

Kansas and Kansas State finished with identical 14-4 conference records. The Jayhawks swept the Wildcats during the regular season. But now they enter the postseason on uncertain footing, much like about half the top 25.

Since losing to at lowly TCU on Feb. 6 and Oklahoma on Feb. 9, Kansas has looked vulnerable on the road. It needed two overtimes to outlast Oklahoma State, a solid NCAA tournament team, and then one overtime session to top Iowa State, a likely NCAA tournament team, in a game marred by controversial late-game officiating.

Baylor's scorching hot shooting came against a team that had held its opponents to 31.5 percent shooting. Self said the his team's defense "was not any good" and had a number of breakdowns. But he credited Jackson and Jefferson on their performances.

"Cory Jefferson today made six shots outside 15 feet, including three threes," Self said. "He was great. If he is going to do that, that would be a hard win for us no matter what. When two players are as good as he and Pierre, they just totally dominated."

To reach the Final Four in Atlanta, the clearest path for Kansas was to remain in the Midwest. The Jayhawks will likely play their first two games in Kansas City. Should they advance, they then could find themselves at Cowboys Stadium, not far from where they suffered the worst college basketball upset in several years in Fort Worth.

And after today's performance, the Jayhawks' hopes of earning a No. 1 seed took a hit with yet another sour performance in the state of Texas that they'd like to forget.